My desire is to give birth w/o painkiller (i.e. epidural)... So, I put down on my birth plan my preference for an intermittent monitoring and a saline lock (instead of IV)... so that I can walk around...
Doctor responded by saying that their protocol do not allow the above. He added that I may want to review the items w/ my nurse on the day of my delivery...
Am I asking too much (I thought the above could be accomodated w/o too much hassle)... Or may I still politely insist on my preference w/o alienating the staff...
This is my first birth so I would appreciate any advice from exp. mothers and L&D nurses. Thx. much in advance!
Specializes in Pediatric, Obstetrics, Public Health.
The only one I had "natural" was my second which was born at home with a midwife. What a nightmare, that was the worst pain I've ever felt.
I'm so sorry that was your experience. I had my second at home with a midwife and labored the whole time in water. It was just as effective as the epidural I had with my first.
But isn't it nice that we have so many choices? Hospital, home or birthing center births. It's really wonderful!
To the OP, no, I don't think your birth plan requests are at all unreasonable. I agree with some of the others that you might want to shop around for a more liberal doc or even a midwife. If you choose to stay with your current Dr & hospital I agree with the person who said stay at home as long as you can and know that you do have the right to refuse interventions (but please be safe).
And by all means, stay flexible. I see so many moms feeling guilty or upset because the birth didn't go the way they had planned. Try not to get scared and try not to fight the labor pains, but if you feel you need meds, it's okay too.
Best wishes!
And for some reason I get the impression she is in Korea but with the military, no? Does the US have an active military hospital there?
Wow! I can't believe your doc won't approve your birth plan. I work in a small rural hosp and we have 2 obs and a midwife. 1 of our docs is very much into the "unnatural" ( epidural, pit, arom)but even he has loosened up over time but our other doc and midwife are all about pt comfort and choices. We have hospital based doulas and every pt is offered one. We have a labor tub, birthing ball, and encourage pts to get up and move. Most of our nurses are ok w/ a pt just having a saline lock and depending on the situation, monitoring for 30 min every couple hours. If you are in the tub we dopple every 15 min. We don't have the wireless monitoring system but if you want to be on the ball or rocking chair, we can still monitor you, Might not get a perfect strip but we can still see what baby is doing. Most of our nurses are very much into pt choice and we are a strong advocate for our pts if the situation is right. We just make sure our pts know the benefits and risks and that if something changes for the worse that they will get IV, continous monitor etc.....
There is wireless monitoring!!??? I've been joking for years that the person who invents wireless monitoring (and wireless IV infusion, and wireless cardiac monitoring, etc.) will be a bazillionaire.
Thank heavens for wireless monitoring! The hospital I will give birth at this fall has wireless, waterproof monitoring. They want me to be monitored the whole time as a vbac patient but I can still use the laboring tubs. I checked around for a vbac friendly hospital and this is the only one I heard of with wireless monitoring.
Regardless, once you meet that little baby it likely won't matter how he/she got here.
I really wish I could force myelf to feel that way with my first birth. I also really wish I had planned a homebirth. The contractions only got unbearable when they decided my labor wasn't progressing fast enough for them. After every intervention in the book, I had a c-section. Not a great experience. I tolerated the surgery and recovered just fine; it was just sucky to be separated from my baby and not be the first one to hold her. I wish I had more of a birth plan in place.
Honey if you lived in Fl I'd say "come on". Most of my pts do not request epidurals. All our IV's origionate as saline locks. If you need to be augmented, need fluid bolus ect then of course we "hook you up". Intermittant monitoring...that depends on where you are in labor, where the BABY is in the pelvis and whether or not your water is broken. Yes, I work in a regular hospital L&D unit. : ) We are a leval 2 with a NICU.
I've been joking for years that the person who invents wireless monitoring (and wireless IV infusion, and wireless cardiac monitoring, etc.) will be a bazillionaire. 
OB Night Nurse
23 Posts
I'm so sorry that was your experience. I had my second at home with a midwife and labored the whole time in water. It was just as effective as the epidural I had with my first.
But isn't it nice that we have so many choices? Hospital, home or birthing center births. It's really wonderful!
To the OP, no, I don't think your birth plan requests are at all unreasonable. I agree with some of the others that you might want to shop around for a more liberal doc or even a midwife. If you choose to stay with your current Dr & hospital I agree with the person who said stay at home as long as you can and know that you do have the right to refuse interventions (but please be safe).
And by all means, stay flexible. I see so many moms feeling guilty or upset because the birth didn't go the way they had planned. Try not to get scared and try not to fight the labor pains, but if you feel you need meds, it's okay too.
Best wishes!
And for some reason I get the impression she is in Korea but with the military, no? Does the US have an active military hospital there?